Or, a slight premium over the price of gasoline at around $3.70 a gallon.

What is it doing to our community?

Did you change your driving / usage?

Will you be considering a trade to something smaller? A gasser?

What about alternative fuels? Propane? Bio?

What is everyone doing?

I cut back sharply on the number of miles driven --- and it is still a pretty big bite out of the wallet.

dbennett48

04-14-2011, 08:12 PM

I already have an economic Toyota Corolla for my daily driver. I do not use my truck as much as in the past. Fuel is $4.35+ here and gas is $4.09+. I am getting ready to take a trip to San Diego next week, by car. :)

Dave

bootcamp

04-14-2011, 09:39 PM

I spent almost 600$ in diesel this time home. Now that summer is here I will break out the bike. A 220 mile trip to work cost me 23$ instead 75$. Thats 40mpg vs 15mpg.

IdahoF350

04-14-2011, 10:17 PM

Here in the desert north or Los Angeles, diesel is running $4.399-$4.899, 87 octane is $4.059+. It's hurting my personal finances, and killed off my business. Since fuel went back over $3.00/gallon I've watched my business disappear for the second time in 5 years. My income relies upon people having a little extra money and wanting to play with their toys. The majority of my customers had a couple hundred dollars a month cushion, but that is gone with fuel as high as it is.

I've decided that if I can't beat them, I'm gonna join them. I'm looking for work in the petroleum industry as I write this.

Gearloose1

04-14-2011, 11:28 PM

Ford Motor Co. will idle a heavy-duty truck assembly plant next week amid softening consumer demand for full-size pickup trucks and a move by the company to conserve components following the March 11 earthquake in Japan.

The auto maker's Kentucky Truck Plant, located in Louisville, Ky., will close for five days starting Monday, Ford sales analyst George Pipas said. The plant produces such vehicles as the F-250 Super Duty pickup truck, Lincoln Navigator and Ford Expedition. The plant operates two shifts and employs a total of more than 4,000 workers.

In addition to the Kentucky plant, Ford said it is also idling its Flat Rock, Mich., plant for one week starting Monday. That shutdown is in response to building Mustang inventories. The auto maker had more than 116-days worth of supply at the end of March, far above the 60- to 80-day supply it traditionally keeps.

Its about $4 per gallon at the end of my street. If I look around I can find it cheaper. The price of fuel is steep, but the truck is my primary transportation. I do what I got to do! Fortunately, I can take public transportation to work. I am planning a trip to Ohio, Arkansas and then Florida. I am going to have to plan carefully and figure out what it might cost me. Normally it would be no big deal. Just hoping the price of fuel holds for awhile.

If the don't drop the price, then F them, they can keep there overpriced truck.

I don't want to have to put water and cat piss in my exhaust system anyway.

Gearloose1

04-15-2011, 01:41 AM

If the don't drop the price, then F them, they can keep there overpriced truck.

I don't want to have to put water and cat piss in my exhaust system anyway.

From the deepest bowels of gossip mills I track, incentives are within 30 days of coming out on full sized trucks.

The order book is holding in March because of fleet orders, but the view looking out is not good.

Oh, you have an alternative to cat pee.... just buy a few cases of 24s.

Small hole, make sure you don't miss.

dzljon

04-15-2011, 01:41 AM

i drive my altima everyday and have done since 05, i use my truck for truck duties and for my creative outlet and plan on keeping it for along time i have already owned it for 10 years and i plan on 10 more my cummins is doing pretty good on fuel, about 70 miles to a 1/8 of a tank, i saw this coming as the economy recovers it was a matter of time till we got back to 06/07 fuel prices... i dont feel bad for those that just spent huge money on a 2011 diesel ,this summer when fuel hits even higher the dealers will be giving huge incentives to buy just like in 08...

fine69

04-15-2011, 01:45 AM

I'm not doing anything different! Fuel prices are what they are and there ain't a damn thing we can do about it! If you bought an 8000lb truck as a daily driver and then can't afford it, well then you need to take a good hard look and decide if you really need that truck or just want it to be cool and "blow smoke!" These types of threads are really pointless!

Gearloose1

04-15-2011, 02:01 AM

I bought mine for a very specific mission as a work vehicle / mobile command post / lab / equipment shed.

I could have done with a gasser, but the 6.0 was so cheap by the time I got it that it was a no-brainer.

Now, the thing that made it a killer app was I spent less than $4k in repairs to make it perfectly reliable, no head studs / gaskets, no $$$ on mods, etc.

Estimate that my 2nd year of ownership will have less than $1,000 in repair costs, most of that in a front brake job, and a new exhaust system.

Because I didn't drop $60k out the door, it is about the only reason I can afford this thing.

Banshee365

04-15-2011, 02:07 AM

I've had the same plan for almost 4 years now. I bought my 2005 PSD in 2006. In 2007 I also bought a 1992 Toyota Paseo with 189k miles. I paid $800 for it. I tore it apart the day I got it and did the timing belt, clutch, water pump, and rear main seal before hardly driving it. The clutch was fine at 189k but will be fine for another 200k now. The water pump was also fine but I just replaced it to have a fresh start. It get's 40 mpg every tank and is out of this world reliable. I love my truck and plan to keep it nearly forever, I have no plans at all to ever get rid of it as of yet. The car paid for itself in several months in fuel cost savings and continues to put money in my pocket over driving my truck everywhere. I'm also paying on my truck until next March and it will have less than 100k when it is fully paid off. :happydance The A/C in my Paseo doesn't work but I plan to fix it one of these day's, but for now rolling the windows down is fine for me. I drive it all over the place and continue to save tons of money over driving my truck. For me this is the ideal situation, I drive the car when I need transportation and drive my truck for fun and keep it nice and clean all the time. It makes me love my truck more and more because I don't get used to driving it as I'm alway's driving the car. When I drive the truck I alway's get a smile on my face and am glad I made that move.

Gearloose1

04-15-2011, 03:56 AM

The 92 Paeso is a pretty good idea, that was before Toyota chintzed out their stuff in the late 90s and 2000s.

Stuff I am seeing now with Toyota is incredible... trim so thin it falls apart... off...

Raspy vent fans because there is not enough insulation / big enough ducts.

Carpets so think that you can blow on them and it lifts (I actually did this).

And sheet metal so light that a light push on the hood will ding it for good.

They keep saying that it is "high strength" steel and doesn't need to be as heavy... but high strength steel do not corrode any slower than regular steel, so the structural strength weakening over time is horrific --- once you are past 7 years when the rust warranty is completely out.

If I had to choose a nice frame based car vs. the ultra chintz unibody Toyotas made today.. it is a no brainer after 10 years.

My Ford (20 year old frame design) will be around in 20 years if I choose to keep it.

IdahoF350

04-15-2011, 05:20 AM

I bought my truck to make me money, and it has on many occasion along the way. The picture in my signature looks funny because there is 3600lbs of scrap iron in the bed of the truck. Its a work truck as much as its the tow vehicle for family cacations.

Despite the higher maintenance costs of the diesel, and the repairs I've had to make along the way, warranted, unwarranted, and owner inflicted, I plan on keeping the truck regardless of the price of fuel. The truck's paid for, and for now, it's cheaper to pay more at the pump than make another car payment.

I may start looking for a cheap VW Golf TDI though. Something I could pick up cash, no financing. I'd like a semi-modern diesel car, and the Golf or Jetta would be a good "local" car. I just can't fit much more than a toddler in the seat behind me in smaller cars.

neeltburn

04-15-2011, 04:37 PM

Pay, as stated there is not a lot we can do. Does it effect the economy, yes, will it hurt some peoples income, yes, Is having a diesel just to blow smoke economical to begin with? No. I have my truck to pull trailers. About the only change I can see is that trips with the fiver will be shorter this year.

Lowboy

04-15-2011, 06:27 PM

I've cut the business PU and truck use and until the rates can cover the big truck fuel costs it will stay parked. I've all but closed the contracting business down and the few outfits working are losing their butts.

For personal use we use the TDI VW for everything and leave the other 2 parked.. I'm sick of paying Middle East prices for fuel while we have oil right here and leave wells capped off.

DEERE3594

04-21-2011, 02:59 AM

I had a grand am a few years ago when i was married, i was always getting it stuck in the pastures and trucking to haul hay in it.. didnt work out. i dont care what fuel costs, ill give up other things. if it hits 9bucks a gallon, ill hunt for my food. no one can aford that.. but tra lala, why worry with whatca cant control

Diesel Brad

04-21-2011, 05:47 PM

I bought an old dieselcar with a cracked head for cheap; welded the head (aluminum) and have driven it to St Louis several times. Hard to hate something that gets 37 mpg, although I prefer drivin a full size diesel. Sadly, I think we'll see $5/gal and massive inflation.

kyleschonert

04-21-2011, 06:06 PM

I won't own a car only, and all of the 1/2 tons I would have bought really don't seem to get any better mileage than what I've been told diesels can get. And I've been getting 16 average city and highway. Had a 95 V6 5 Speed Toyota Tacoma and would get 17 city and highway and best I EVER got with it was 22 on the highway only. And I know I could buy a beater car, but there is more money for insurance, licensing and registration, and repairs.

I should have a company truck when I start my new job so hopefully this will get to sit a little more, if not, I'll cut back on other things. As others have stated, nothing we can really do about it. I graduate in the fall and am going to live at home for a few more months to put some funds back and get closer to paying this off. I didn't buy mine to blow smoke, but I also didn't buy it so it could sit...

Here in Southern IL, diesel ranges from $3.99-$4.23 and unleaded is $3.95.

Dodgefarmer

04-22-2011, 02:48 AM

Paid $4.18 delivered, for a partial truck and trailer load of highway diesel yesterday. Stations around town are selling it for 4.31 to 4.47. Thats a $0.13 to $0.29 mark up that service stations are doing on the same fuel stars. Also on the same load was red diesel and gas for the tanks, making it a full truck and trailer load.

Anyway I use my truck for work so there is no slowing down on driving. Might :shrugs make trips pulling the 5th wheel a bit shorter mileage wise.

NADMmarketman

04-22-2011, 01:03 PM

In order to save my money for the pumps I have taken drastic measures to cut back on expenses around the house.

Turn lights out, turn heat/air down, shorter showers and most important I have cut back on beer consumption!

I switched to rum or gin which works much quicker than beer so I have to drink less for the same effect!:rock:happydance:happydance